Magic, Love, and Other Nonsense
by Phangirling
Summary: A sixth year Ravenclaw, Gwen just wants to breeze by her last two years in school quietly, with no one except a few friends and her boyfriend to keep her company. However, things don't go quite as planned when she meets the resident Slytherin bad boy.


**A/N: Well, hi there. This isn't my first D/G story by far, but I had a sudden stroke of inspiration, so you get a TD/Hogwarts crossover. You really only need basic knowledge of the Harry Potter-verse to understand this story, so don't worry about it getting overly complicated...yet. :D Anyhoo, this chapter may have a few mistakes, and there's some cursing at the end there, but I really did like how it ended up turning out overall and I would absolutely adore some reviews. They always make my day, so please review when you finish reading. Whether you liked it or not, I want to know your opinion. It's greatly appreciated. :)**

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Gwen's footsteps were light but audible among the din of noise that always managed to fill Hogwarts' ancient halls during the time between the final classes of the day and dinner. It was her own fault, really. For someone who prided herself on being (for the most part) invisible to the rest of her peers, she sure put a lot of effort into standing out in the crowd. Thick black eyeliner; hair chopped off at her collarbone and dyed a kaleidoscope of black, blue, and teal; never seen skulking around the shadows without a book in her hand that could easily double as a weapon. Her combat boots were her signature, though. Even in the summer, when black school robes were shed and uniform shirts were nearly unbuttoned to the point of indecency, the heavy boots with their steel toes and knee-high leather casings remained the staple of her wardrobe.

"Gwen!" She hadn't even realized that her footfalls had stopped until her boots had scuffed against the stone ground when she turned to face Cody. A fellow Ravenclaw, he had latched onto her immediately upon the start of his first year and her second. He was a huge nerd, and at first a nuisance with his clinginess and constant unabashed mooning over her, but as the years wore on he had managed to grow on her somehow. In their own hands-off way, they were pretty good friends. But Cody could still be really annoying.

She sighed. "What's up, Cody?"

The shorter boy's face lit up, and he released a breathy nervous laugh. "I was just wondering if you heard about Heather and Alejandro. It's all over school that they broke up!"

Gwen couldn't suppress the eyeroll if she tried. The Slytherin power couple that thrived on their own drama and broke up twice a week was of no interest to her. Luckily, she was saved from immediately responding when the heavy door to the Ravenclaw common room swung open and the throng of people surrounding them began to move.

When they approached the threshold, she finally snorted her response.

"Shocking."

"I know! And Heather said they were back together for good this time!"

"That's what she says every time."

"I know!"

Early on in their rocky friendship, Gwen learned that the art of intelligent conversation was lost on Cody. He could add up hundreds of numbers in his head a minute flat and memorize the whole Runes alphabet in a week, but convincing him to find anything but the pointless drama of their peers to actually be stimulating was fruitless. She was not up to the task; not now, not ever.

She sighed again. "Right. I'm going to go throw these books upstairs. I'll see you at dinner later, 'kay?"

"Okay!" Gwen watched him scamper away until he disappeared in the crowd of Ravenclaws, then with yet another long-suffering sigh made her way to the girls dormitories.

Ten minutes later, with hands scrubbed of ink stains and a searching look in her eye, Gwen approached the grand Great Hall. Since it was still a good couple of minutes until dinner was served, all four House tables were relatively empty, save for a few giggly girls huddled around the foot of the Gryffindor table and a handful of Ravenclaws spread out along their table, undoubtedly having arrived so early so that they study in an environment that wasn't as hectic as the common room was notorious for being this time of day.

She had just begun to squint towards the Hufflepuff table in search of a familiar face when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, her surprised grimace turned into a smile when Trent beamed at her.

"Hey gorgeous!" Gwen felt her cheeks burn when he swooped down and pecked her on the lips, even though no one was watching. It had been three weeks (and two days and three hours) since they had made their relationship official, and Trent wasn't afraid to show her off despite her reservations about drawing unwanted attention to herself. It could be trying at times, to date someone that seemed so different than her at first glance. After all, Trent was calm, cool, and collected. Star Beater for the Hufflepuff team, he had landed the captain position this year after the last one graduated. (Gwen didn't know his/her name. Quidditch, or any sport for that matter, was not her forte.) She was the loner; destined to bare her teeth at anyone who dared to cross her and spark rumors that she was part-vampire because of it for the whole of her school career. They weren't supposed to work together at all, but when their paths accidentally crossed last year and they got to talking, Gwen couldn't stop herself from appreciating his infectious grin and blushing at his constant compliments. It wasn't long until she had developed a major crush on him and vice versa.

"Hi." The corners of her mouth lifted a bit more. If there were any watching spectators, they might think that she actually looked happy.

Trent picked up both of her hands in his own and looked down at them. Behind him, hungry students from all Houses suddenly rushed in. Trent looked around, his green eyes startled, before he smiled again and lifted their joined hands.

"I was thinking we could go for a walk after dinner. Meet me by the lake when you're ready?"

Gwen's smile widened by a fraction and Trent positively beamed. "Okay. Sounds nice."

"Great!" With that, he released her hands and pecked her on the cheek. "See you then!" he called over his shoulder, then he had run off to take his seat. A silly smile wouldn't stop tugging at her cheeks as she did the same.

Within five minutes of her sitting down and trying not to look too lovesick, the Great Hall had filled with students. Professors had all filed in at some point, too. With a clap of Headmaster McLean's hands, the empty platters lining every table overflowed with various meats, breads, fruits, and dipping sauces for it all. Ever since good old Professor McGonagall had retired the year before Gwen started school and her great-great-nephew's cousin twice removed (or something like that) had taken over, things at Hogwarts had apparently gotten more flashy and exciting. She wouldn't know, of course, and to be honest, she kind of thought McLean was a jerk. But whatever, she was hungry, and there was a cute boy waiting for her to not be anymore so they could go on a perfectly romantic walk just the two of them. It was all the incentive she needed to scarf down half a chicken breast and a small slab of bread without a single sip of pumpkin juice or breath in between. It made her throat dry, and Cody was kind of gaping at her across the table as she leapt up and left, but she couldn't care less. Her boyfriend was waiting.

Gwen may as well have been walking on air as she made the trek from the Entrance Hall where Trent had reluctantly (and sweetly, with a big kiss and tender promises to take her on nice moonlit strolls more often) left her presence. It was well past curfew, and she should probably have been paying more attention to where she was pointing the lit tip of her wand and how loudly she was plodding along the wide corridor. The creepy caretaker Hatchet and his infernal cat were undoubtedly on the prowl for students out of bed. They took sick pleasure in dragging prisoners to Professor McLean's quarters in the middle of the night and gigglng madly when detentions were handed out. A pair of freaks, really.

But Gwen didn't care. She couldn't find it in her to. She felt uncharacteristically giddy as her skin tingled all over and her lips positively burned in the most pleasurable way possible. Her heart may have actually been flapping around in her chest like a deranged owl. Trent was honestly the sweetest guy she had ever met and while he may not be very partial to the side of her that loved a good gory book or lame Muggle horror movie, he was an excellent kisser and his eyes were the most vibrant green she had ever seen, like sunlit trees or river water flowing freely over dark rocks or –

"You hear somethin', Snuffles?" Gwen's breath escaped her and every mushy thought immediately evaporated from her mind. Mr. Hatchet's cat squawked in response. Her heartbeat sped up as heavy, earth-shattering footsteps got closer and closer. Thinking fast, she ducked into the first dark doorway she saw just as the dream team of the Underworld turned into the other corridor. Her eyes widened in the light of her wand as she held it out in front of her and swiftly searched for somewhere to hide until the impending threat had passed. Footsteps were once again gaining on her and she was considering just allowing herself to get caught when she took a step forward. There was a suit or armor she could try ducking behind and a heavy linen tapestry hanging on her left – that promptly sprouted a hand and yanked her behind it.

The yelp of surprise was caught in her throat when a heavy hand clapped over her mouth. She immediately began to struggle against it and the arm that wound tightly around her waist, holding her indecently close to a hard chest that smelled faintly of smoke, grime, and her attic back home in the heart of Wizarding London.

"Shh." A voice, definitely male, spat, then he turned to her wand and muttered "Nox." Her light went out, but she still tried to struggle. Mr. Hatchet could be heard cooing to that freaky cat of his in the distance and there wouldn't be time to hide if she couldn't get this pervert to –

Her own train of thought stopped, and she blinked sharply in the black night. She had been pulled behind a tapestry. She was perfectly hidden. Whoever had grabbed her and taken her back there had actually helped her. Immensely. She stopped pounding her fists against whatever anatomy she managed to find and her legs went still. Her heart still pounded wildly, however, when the stomping had suddenly stopped mere inches from where…they were hidden. But then, after a tense minute, they were gone altogether. Hatchet and the Demon Cat had disappeared back down the corridor they came from. Their footsteps got further away until there was no sound at all, at which point Gwen sighed with relief.

"Damn, Sweetheart." The voice behind her croaked shortly afterward. "Think you could avoid my shoulder next time? It's kind of tender. My ex-girlfriend used it as a punching bag last week. I'm really hoping that doesn't turn into a trend. If it does, I am so going back to Muggle chicks…"

Gwen's lips twisted at his voice. It was deep, familiar and unrecognizable at the same time. She was sure she had heard it before, yet she couldn't place it. Adjusting her grip on her wand, she muttered "Lumos" and watched the wood suddenly glow, illuminating the face of her savior for the night.

And then she groaned. Only she would manage to get her sorry butt saved in the middle of the night by the resident delinquent, Duncan Sanders.

She'd never spoken directly to him, but she didn't have to in order to know his name. Everyone knew him, if not as the kid with the bright green Mohawk or the one that allegedly set Snuffles on fire during Prank Week in third year, then as the guy who dated fellow Slytherin and self-proclaimed Queen-of-Everything Courtney for a good eleven months before finally getting sick of her. People had only stopped buzzing about it last week if she remembered right.

So basically, Duncan was a no good-dirty-rotten-royal-jerk. And now she kind of owed him one.

_Merlin's Fucking Beard_.


End file.
